Multnomah County puts 2 administrators on leave over handling of health care complaints

The top administrator of Multnomah County's mental health services is on leave, pending an internal investigation over how his department handled complaints about Portland's psychiatric crisis center and other health care providers.

Joan Rice, the quality manager for the health department, is also on leave. She serves as the de facto clearinghouse for complaints and ultimately decides what to do with them.

Both will be paid their full salary and benefits during this time.

The county's chief operating officer said last week that she ordered the review after what appears to be a pattern of county officials ignoring serious complaints about Unity Center for Behavioral Health. The review will look at the past year's worth of complaints for all health care providers, including nursing homes and hospitals.

According to county documents, Rice has received at least 19 complaints about Unity since the 24-hour operation opened Jan. 31, 2017.

In its first month, a Unity staff member reported to the county that the center's staff discounted a woman's account that she had been sexually assaulted, only to find that she was right, according to complaint files provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive by the county under a public records request.

Earlier this year, a county employee in the mental health division also reported a suicide and a person found dead in bed associated with Unity to Rice.

She appears to have never taken action on any of the complaints, the records indicate.

Chief Operating Officer Marissa Madrigal said it's possible the county health department did everything right, but it's hard to tell because administrators couldn't explain their process for investigating the complaints.

Under state law, Multnomah County is supposed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing at any health care facility in its jurisdiction.

The state investigation is ongoing. Unity officials said they're making changes to the center to address state sanctions, including replacing doors on bathrooms with curtains, teaching staff how to respond to medical emergencies and other gaps in training and protocols.

If Unity doesn't meet state health guidelines, it could lose federal certification that could affect its ability to stay in business. The center faces a Sept. 11 to address the state's concerns.